12.03.08

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Beware the Mono

Posted in Microsoft, Mono, Novell, Patents, Windows at 8:02 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Microsoft ZUN

Here is another word of warning about Mono and Novell’s other Microsoft toys, such as Moonlight.

Microsoft, is a convicted monopolist, and at a certain level, when Mono gets to the core of the famous Linux distros., Microsoft won’t hesitate to lock the users down through patents, licenses, monopolies, and so on.. And as a result, Ubuntu won’t stay Ubuntu anymore..

Mono, is not here to make Linux users happier. The only goal behind Mono, and Moonlight, is to give Microsoft the ability to constrain the users of Mono and all the MS applications running through it, to its patents, DRM, and all the other Monopolistic weapons of proprietary software.

What is Miguel de Icaza up to this week? Well, yesterday he published some Windows software.

This tool only runs on Windows as it is using the Groupwise COM APIs to fetch the calendar data. I would love to have this work on Linux if someone knows how to get to these from Unix.

Miguel uses Microsoft Windows? █

“When you speak about interoperability [...] He meant among different versions of Windows.”

–Joe Wilcox, Microsoft Fan, 14 June 2006

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Microsoft’s Proprietary Web ‘Extensions’ Already Harm GNU/Linux, Rival Web Browsers

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5 Comments

Goblin said,

December 3, 2008 at 8:20 am

Hi Roy,
Great article (again)

As Ive always believed Novell is the official bed partner to MS and whilst Mono is sponsored by Novell, I cannot believe MS would sit back and allow this “great gift” to be given to Linux users without other motives at play. To me it is obvious there is much more to Mono, and I really cant understand why some people consider Mono so great.

MS is here to make money, end of. We all ready know that Novell gives up to the “mighty MS” how obvious can this Mono thing be?

Its like the story of the wooden horse all over again, except this time a couple of the “hidden Greek troops” are sitting on top of it having a cigarette. – How obvious do people need things to be?
Bob said,

December 7, 2008 at 9:07 am

@Goblin
How about an account of the dangers of Mono in straight and plain English without the use of metaphors or any faulty logic.
Roy Schestowitz said,

December 7, 2008 at 9:09 am

How about this one?
Bob said,

December 7, 2008 at 9:23 am

@Roy
The link does a good job of summarising suspicions and speculations of the harm posed by Mono. In most cases, the facts are presented correctly and speculation is presented as speculation.

However, the fear with isn’t concrete, it is just compelling speculation. It is compelling because of the fact that Microsoft anti-competitive behaviour.
Roy Schestowitz said,

December 7, 2008 at 9:30 am

In May 2007 it also threatened to sue. I don’t believe it will, but Mono gives it something to point at and say: “look, they stole from us.”

Mono is FUD, at the very least… and it latches onto the very foundation of many applications (not just one you can isolate). Reversibility matters.

Remember SCO and UNIX vs Linux.

“Look., it works so similarly…”